Aaron Payne was born and raised in Los Angeles.  After earning a degree in History & Literature from Harvard he decided to do the obvious things…working first in documentary film, and then moving to New York to pursue a career as an art dealer. In 2006 aaron payne FINE ART opened on Marcy Street in Santa Fe.

For the last 25 years, aaron payne FINE ART  has specialized in the work of Twentieth Century American masters, focusing primarily on the American Modernists, Stieglitz Circle, American Abstract Artists, African–American  Art, Postwar & Contemporary Art. aaron payne FINE ART works with both new and experienced collectors, individuals and institutions, to provide the highest level of quality, scholarship, and service.

Many of the artists the gallery features traveled between New York, California and New Mexico, trading techniques and experiences with the artists they met on these trips.  Some of these artists only  knew of each other through exhibitions at galleries, museums or the various salons, which featured the art of their day.  I see a connection between all of them. We are always seeking to highlight the relationships between these artists and we try to bring attention to those whose works represent the best of their genre and period.  Many of these artists may have even studied and exhibited with more well-­‐known artists, but for various reasons have not been seen in their proper context.  To further this mission the gallery has exhibited the works of the Santa Fe Art Colony, Taos Moderns, and lesser known members of  the Washington Color School such as Alma Thomas and Sam Gilliam, as well as organized a major exhibition of the New Mexico painter Cady Wells.